2009 June

Jun 20, 2009

Spring Reading Thing 2009 Wrap-Up

I knew when I made my list for Spring Reading Thing 2009 that I was being a bit ambitious. Eight nonfiction books and six fiction books would be a stretch for me, but I thought I could do it.

Alas, it turns out I couldn’t.

Well, I still read fourteen books, but just not all the books on my original list.

But wait, rather than rambling, let me answer some questions.

Did you finish reading all the books on your spring reading list? If not, why not?

Nope. I did complete six of the nonfiction books, and 3.5 of the fiction books. I’m currently almost-done with Pride & Prejudice and will probably finish it this weekend, so if I give myself credit for that one, it means I left 2 fiction and 2 nonfiction from my original list undone. However, I read an additional four books (for blog tours and giveaways) and listened to two audiobooks, so I certainly got in plenty of reading.

I blame my inability to finish my list on a combination of: a spring cold that knocked out three of us for three weeks; potty-training; and reading extra books for blog tours.

Since I read so much, I don’t consider myself to have “failed,” though. And I’m glad I pushed myself a little. Having big goals certainly helped me read more than I otherwise would have.

What was your favorite book you read this spring? Why?

I think my favorite was All I Need Is Jesus and a Good Pair of Jeans. The author, Susanna Foth Aughtmon, is so real, funny, and encouraging in this book — I could relate to each and every chapter and found myself both laughing out loud and nodding in solemn agreement. Basically, it’s a book about the struggles we face as we try to live as Christian women — dealing with our insecurities, our weaknesses, and our (no-bones-about-it) sins. It’s so rare for someone to let themselves be so vulnerable about shortcomings and sins, that I found the book utterly refreshing and very encouraging.

Did you discover a new author or genre this spring? Did you love them? Not love them?

I read (or actually, am still reading) Pride & Prejudice for the first time this spring, and it’s also my first Jane Austen book. I know so many people who absolutely love, love, love this book, that I was a little nervous. What if I didn’t like it? Would I be labeled a literary reject forever?

The verdict is… I really like it. I can’t say that I absolutely love, love, love it, simply because I like a book to move a little bit faster. That’s just one of my issues. But I’ve enjoyed getting to know the characters, I love interplay between some of them, and Austen has written lots of little quips and quotes throughout the book that have made me smile or laugh. I want to go back and re-read it sometime, just to make sure I pulled out all those good quotations. I’m glad I had it on my list, and that I’ve finally been initiated into the Pride & Prejudice club.

Now to watch the A&E movie version that’s waiting by the TV…

What was your favorite thing about the challenge?

Two Things:

First, hearing from other participants during the challenge. I enjoyed hearing how everyone was coming along, how much they were reading, and what they thought of their books. The community involved in Spring Reading Thing 2009 was great!

Second, the accountability. Even though the challenges I host are “low pressure,” just knowing that I would have to write this wrap-up post and put it up for all the world to see kept me on track (as much as I could be) and kept me from just totally giving up when sickness and potty-training had me feeling like a reading failure.

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Be sure to check out the main wrap-up post for Spring Reading Thing 2009 to see how other participants did!

Filed Under: Spring Reading Thing 2009 15 Comments

Jun 18, 2009

Book Giveaway: Elisha’s Bones

written by katrina · 18 Comments

I can hardly believe we’re here…today is the final spring book giveaway from Bethany House. But before I tell you about that book, let me announce last week’s winners:

The winner of Finding An Unseen God is:

Comment #15: Melanie

And the winners of the Faith, Hope, & Lullabies CDs are:

Faith, Hope, & Lullabies — Comment #5: Heather S.

Songs of Worship — Comment #8: Charity

Congratulations!

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Here’s how the giveaways during Spring Reading Thing 2009 work:

Every Thursday, I post about a new book that’s up for grabs (some weeks, there will be more than one book!). If it sounds like a book you’d like and you want to be eligible to win it, just leave a comment on the post and I’ll put your name in the virtual hat. I’ll leave the post open for comments until the following Wednesday at noon. I’ll then randomly pick a commenter and announce that person as the winner when I put up the next giveaway.

Also, I apologize to any international readers, but these giveaways are only open to readers in the U.S. or Canada.

This week’s giveaway: [Read more...]

Jun 16, 2009

Daily Task Cards For Kids

written by katrina · 17 Comments

My 10-year-old son, C., is more than thrilled that the school year is over. He greatly prefers lazy mornings, bike rides, and no homework to the school-year burdens of reading, writing, and arithmetic.

But I know him. As much as he enjoys the slower pace and the unscheduled days, he can start to feel a little restless or lost without some kind of structure.

I have no intention of being a slave-driver or of giving him a minute-by-minute schedule this summer. But I did want to offer him an easy way to make sure that every day, he accomplishes the things he wants to accomplish (and a few things I want him to accomplish as well), while minimizing the potential for restlessness and the dreaded, “Mom, I’m bored!”

Enter: The Daily Task Card

Every morning, I make an index card with C.’s “assignments” for the day. For example, here is today’s card:

Initially, I wasn’t sure how he’d respond to being handed a kind of to-do list at the start of each day, but it turns out that he really likes it. Here’s why I think it works:

Checkboxes. He’s a kid after my own heart — finding great satisfaction in crossing off list items. Putting a check in each box gives him a sense of accomplishment and provides a visual reminder that he’s actually doing stuff every day.
I include fun things, too. Note that his task card includes a bike ride and reading. These are two things he really enjoys and would do every day anyway. But putting them on the list does two things: first, he gets “credit” for doing things he enjoys; second, when he’s feeling out of sorts or bored, it reminds him that there are several things — fun things — just waiting for him.
One “big chore.” C. has a bunch of little chores he does every day — making his bed, putting dishes in the dishwasher, helping with his little brother, etc. — but I include one “big chore” on each day’s task card. Today, it’s cleaning his room. Other days, it might be weeding, laundry, vacuuming, or making (a simple) dinner. Including this big chore keeps me accountable (to give him one each day) but also lets him know that I won’t be piling a ton of stuff on him — he can reasonably expect just one miserable big task per day.
A deadline. If I didn’t include a deadline, I’m sure the piano practice and daily “big chore” wouldn’t get done until somewhere between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m., resulting in a grouchy kid and a frustrated mom. By making sure he has all these things out of the way before 4:00 or 5:00, I’m also ensuring that he has a free evening to relax and enjoy.
A place to record key information. C. likes to write down the page numbers from his reading and Bible study and the amount of time he spends learning about PowerPoint (one of his goals for the summer). I leave space for him to record this information on every card, so we’ll have a lasting record of his progress and accomplishments.
Freedom within the structure. C. doesn’t have to practice piano at 9:00 and complete his chore at 1:00. He is free to create his own schedule every day, as long as he hits all the items on his list. In this way, he learns personal scheduling and responsibility, while also having some solid anchors in his day. He doesn’t have to ask himself, “I’m bored — what do I do now?” He can just check his list and see what’s left.

As I mentioned, this system is working really well for us. C. usually spends the first few hours of the morning ignoring the list and just playing or reading Garfield comics or torturing loving his little brother. But after a while, just when he starts to wander around aimlessly, he’s likely to start working through his list.

I know this system won’t work for every kid, but I hope it’s helpful to someone!

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I’ve included this post in the Works-For-Me Wednesday carnival hosted weekly by We Are That Family. Be sure to click over there to see what’s working for other bloggers this week!

Filed Under: Family, Works-for-Me Wednesday 17 Comments

Jun 16, 2009

Kids’ Picks: C. reads Ryann Watters and the Shield of Faith

written by katrina · 7 Comments

It’s the third Tuesday of the month, which means 5 Minutes for Books is hosting their monthly Kids’ Picks carnival, where bloggers share about what their kids have been reading or enjoying recently.

C. — my 10-year-old son — is joining me this month, sharing about a series he offered to read and review for Callapidder Days. We decided an interview format works best, so I’ll get out of the way and let our interview take it from here…

So, C., from what I gather, an author recently sent you a few books to read and review. What are those books?

These two books are the first books of the Annals of Aeliana series, by Eric Reinhold. Book 1 is Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword. Book 2 is called Ryann Watters and the Shield of Faith.

Wait – the Annals of Aeliana? What’s Aeliana?

Well Aeliana is another world, in a sense. Like Narnia from C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. In the first book of the series, Aeliana was represented as a perfect place – sort of like the Garden of Eden. But later, in the second book, dark forces had taken over.

So, who are the main characters in this series? I’m guessing there’s someone named Ryann?

The main characters are Ryann Watters, Liddy Thomas, and Terell Peterson – kids from our world. One night, Ryann was visited by an angel, Gabriel, who told him to seek the king’s sword – the opening of the first book. Liddy and Terell are Ryann’s friends from school and they joined him on his quest. The school bully – Drake Dunfellow – was also pulled into Aeliana, by Lord Ekron (he’s bad), who told Drake to stop Ryann and his friends in their quest to find the sword.

Gabriel and Lord Ekron – are they from Aeliana?

Not necessarily. They are from a spiritual realm and can abide in either world – our world or Aeliana.

Book 2 – Ryann Watters and the Shield of Faith – just came out this year. Can you tell us a little bit of what that book is about?

This book, which takes place 400 years after the first book (in Aeliana time), occurs during the rule of Narcissus, who appointed himself king. (He had been a well-known Enlightener – one of a group of creatures from Aeliana who taught that Aeliana had power in and of itself, thus leading them away from The Word – The Word is kind of like their name for God.) Narcissus ruled with Lord Ekron and most people supported them.

But then… Enter: Carwyn. Carwyn is a unicorn (I should mention that Narcissus is also a unicorn) who came to Aeliana and chose seven followers (the Chosen) who all appeared to trust his teachings. It soon became clear that Carwyn and Narcissus were good and evil.

In summary, the book tells the story of Carwyn’s struggle (along with the Chosen) to overcome the evil forces in Aeliana.

So how do Ryann and his friends fit in to this one?

Liddy found a book in her attic…and then later there was a blue glow in her attic. She told Terell and Ryann about it, and when the three of them walked into the blue glow, they were transported to Aeliana.

Later, they met up with Ireth (an elf who had written the book in Liddy’s attic) and Sorcha (a dragon they had met during their first journey to Aeliana). Soon, they found Carwyn and Carwyn picked all five of them — the kids, Ireth, and Sorcha – to be members of the Chosen.

Ah, so they found themselves right in the thick of this struggle between good and evil. Let me ask you this: you’ve mentioned spiritual realms, good and evil, and God. Would you say these books have an allegorical component?

The first book – I don’t know. But the second book definitely seems like an allegory. Carwyn seems to represent Jesus. Carwyn told mirroring parables to Jesus’ parables, and did many things similar to things that people might remember Jesus doing. Also like Jesus, Carwyn was betrayed by someone close to him and cruelly beaten at one point in the story.

What did you think of the book overall? Was it a page-turner? Or kind of boring?

I’d say it was a page-turner, at least! Lots of adventure and excitement. It was very thrilling and it makes me want to get Book 3 soon!

Overall, both books were very good and I would probably recommend them for kids 9 to 14. Some scenes (especially in book 2) were intense and might be overwhelming for someone younger.

Thank you very much, C. — for reading these books and for sharing about them on Callapidder Days.

You’re welcome.

Note from Katrina: I haven’t had a chance to read these books, but C. and I have been discussing them a bit as he’s gone through them. They really captured his attention and imagination — dragons and unicorns, good and evil, adventure and intrigue. But more than that, I didn’t have to worry that they might have questionable content. As C. mentioned, they definitely have a Christian slant, and incorporate biblical values throughout.

You can learn more about the Annals of Aeliana at the Ryann Watters website, and you can find both books — Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword and Ryann Watters and the Shield of Faith – at Amazon.com.

Filed Under: General Ramblings 7 Comments

Jun 15, 2009

A few of our favorite smoothies

written by katrina · 9 Comments

In the comments of my last Friday’s Fave Five post, Keyley (who happens to be my sister-in-law — hi, Keyley!) asked me to share my favorite smoothie recipe. I was so glad she asked because I have been at a loss for blog post topics am always happy to spread cold, refreshing, fruity goodness around a little.

I’ll list several of our favorite smoothie concoctions, but I have to give a few caveats first:

1. A smoothie only makes my “favorites” list if C. likes it, too. I tend to make smoothies in bulk, for all of us to enjoy, and as a way to get extra nutrients into my 10-year-old. Therefore, these smoothies are fairly simple — nothing too exotic, nothing too crazy.

2. We have a very serious, heavy-duty Blender-with-a-capital-B. We’ve had other blenders — purchased at Target or a department store. And while they’re fine for some things (like mixing a banana and some yogurt), we’ve discovered that a heavy-duty, though admittedly pricier, Blender allows us to do so much more.

For example, my first recipe includes an orange, and all I do is peel it — the seeds go in along with the rest of the orange, the blender pulverizes them, and you’d never even know they were originally there. Also, I sometimes throw an apple into my smoothies — an entire apple. I remove the stem, but the core, peel, and seeds all stay intact. In one of our previous blenders, this would have been a recipe for a lumpy, gritty, disgusting disaster, but in the new one, you can’t even tell.

All I’m saying is that, depending on your blender, you might have to make some adjustments.

Anyway, on to the recipes:

Banana, Orange & Carrot Smoothie

1/2 banana
1 orange, peeled
1/2 cup orange juice
2-3 baby carrots
1 cup ice

Combine ingredients in blender and blend well (start on a low setting and then increase to high; blend on high approx. 30 seconds). This is probably my personal favorite right now — refreshing, naturally sweet, and tastes similar to an Orange Julius. Yum.

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

1 banana
3/4 cup milk
Big glob of peanut butter (adjust to your liking — I probably use 1-2 Tbsp)
1 cup ice
Optional: Sometimes I include an apple, or exchange vanilla yogurt for some of the milk

Combine ingredients in blender and blend well.

Refreshing Fruit Smoothie

1 cup hulled strawberries
1 banana
1 cup red or green seedless grapes
1 cup ice

Combine ingredients in blender and blend well. I wasn’t sure if I’d like a smoothie without any kind of added yogurt or juice, but I really love this one. It’s just pure fruit juce, but I think it has a great taste.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Okay, this isn’t a smoothie, but it’s delicious. Not entirely healthy. But did I mention that it’s delicious?

1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1 pound frozen unsweetened strawberries
Up to 1/2 cup sugar or other sweetener (I used between 1/4 c and 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

Combine in blender, blend until smooth, but don’t over-blend (or it will start to melt). I have no idea if this will work in every blender — I found it on a site dedicated to our brand. I was skeptical, but it really worked. The frozen strawberries provided both the flavor and the coldness, and the blender whipped it into a yummy, soft-serve consistency strawberry ice cream. We drizzled it with chocolate syrup and devoured it. Three of us split it, but it could certainly stretch further — we were all stuffed after eating it.

And here’s a smoothie I’d like to try, but haven’t quite worked up the guts to…yet:

Cocoa Green Smoothie

1-3 cups baby spinach (start lower and work up to 3 cups)
1 banana (frozen, or use fresh and add some ice)
1 cup milk
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp sugar
Add water if needed to help the blending

Spinach in a smoothie? I know! Sounds weird. But I’ve heard that you can hardly tell it’s there, and just think of all the added nutrients I could get my kids to consume. I’ll let you know if I manage to try this one…

Writing this post made me crave a smoothie, so I just made one and thought I’d share a picture. Here’s the Banana, Orange, & Carrot smoothie, right before I made it quickly disappear.